


Little Zest, A

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-01-15
Updated: 2004-01-15
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15104915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Fact-checking errors.





	Little Zest, A

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**A Little Zest**

**by:** Rhonda Dossett

**Character(s):** CJ/Danny  
**Pairing(s):** CJ/Danny  
**Category(s):** Post-Ep  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine and never will be.  
**Summary:** Fact-checking errors.  
**Spoiler:** Minor through "The Long Goodbye"  


"CJ?  Are you in here?"

Danny's voice echoed through the seemingly deserted women's locker room.  Stepping into"no man's land," the intrepid reporter continued his search for the missing White House Press Secretary.  He had a deadline coming up and had been delayed at the newspaper too late to catch her last briefing of the evening.  Following a lead from a "source close to the Administration" that was still trying to rid his office of a certain goat scent, Danny wandered down into the bowels of the West Wing, hoping for a sighting of his quarry.

"CJ?"  Making his way through the lockers and padded benches, his footsteps muffled on the carpeted floor, Danny followed the sound of falling water.

"CJ?"  The humidity was beginning to make him wish he'd left his jacket upstairs.  Taking it off he laid it and the Yankee's cap that Will had given him as a thank you for the positive story Danny had written about his contribution to the speech writing team.  Will didn't seem to realize, or maybe he just didn't care, that Danny was well aware that this certain cap really belonged to a rather grumpy, balding guy with a proclivity for throwing pink rubber balls against walls.  Danny had accepted the stolen cap with a big grin, knowing that he'd better not get too attached to it.

"CJ?" he called out, turning a corner and finding the one occupied shower stall.  He could see the outline of a woman's body behind the opaque shower curtain.  "CJ?"

The figure held still, the outline of an arm holding a bath sponge hanging in mid-air.

"CJ?  Uh, I just needed to get your comment on a couple of quotes I got from the Pentagon brass."

"CJ?"

The water shut off and the figure leaned against the curtain, inadvertently giving him a clear view of the side of her breast and hip.  "Danny?"

"Uh, yeah.  Sorry to bother you, but I'm on deadline."  Danny smiled in anticipation of the eruption that was about to occur. 

"Danny?  What the hell?  Get out of here," she screeched. 

"It will just take a couple of seconds.  Does the Bartlet Administration stand by its position that the military is ready and able to fight two wars in different... "

"Danny!"  CJ stuck her wet head outside the curtain and glared at him.  "I don't do briefings from the shower.  Get out of here before I call security."

"So would that be a 'no comment' response or an 'I'll check and get back with you later' response?"  He gave a nervous chuckle as he got a good look at the rage in her eyes. 

"It would be a 'stick your questions up your...',"  Her response was cut off by the sound of the locker room door opening and female voices filling the air.

Danny blushed and whispered, "Maybe I *should* leave now."

"No, damn it."  CJ reached out and grabbed the arm of his shirt.  "You can't leave now, everyone will think we were having sex down here.  You need to hide."

"Where?"  Several empty shower stalls were available but if the women were planning on taking a shower, he'd be trapped.

The voices were getting closer.  Margaret's was one of them. 

"In here," CJ hissed, yanking him into the shower stall.  "Don't say anything and keep your eyes shut."

Danny wondered if he should tell her that anyone standing outside the curtain would be able to see two people in the shower or that he'd left his jacket and Toby's cap outside on bench.  

Danny shut his eyes and his mouth.  No -  passing on that information wouldn't help his situation at all.

As noises outside the steamy enclosure approached, CJ turned back on the water.

When the spray hit his face, Danny opened his eyes and uttered a single gasp. "Damn.  These were new shoes."

"Shut up," CJ whispered in his ear.  She was positioned behind him, hidden from his view.  "Give me your shirt."

"Why?  It's wet now, just like all my clothes, thanks to you."

"Just do it."

Unhooking his suspenders and unfastening the top of his pants, Danny pulled his sopping wet, white dress shirt from his waistband and unbuttoned it.  Holding it back over his shoulder, he gave it to her.  "Happy now?"

"No, Fishboy, I'm not happy.  I'm gonna be late for a meeting and if someone catches you in here, my credibility is shot to hell."

"Meeting or date?"  He could hear her putting on the shirt.

"What?"

"Rumor has it you're planning on having a romantic rendezvous with ex-high school boyfriend, Marco Alden."

"How did you..."

Mr. Alden, convicted felon - and currently unemployed jeweler - is waiting for you at the Sheridan in room 406.  You were supposed to meet him in approximately 65 minutes."

"You should know better than to use Josh as a source.  Once again your facts are skewed.  Facts that you have no business knowing in the first place."

"What's the second place?  And, I didn't get my information from Josh, at least not all of it."  He'd spent twenty bucks buying Ed - or maybe it was Larry - pizza.  Most of his facts better be correct or he was going to be wringing two eavesdropping speechwriters' scrawny necks. 

"I beg your pardon?"

"You said in the first place.  If there's a first place, there must be a second place."

"He's not an ex-boyfriend and I'm only meeting him to pick up my father's watch.  Marco repaired it."

Danny twisted around, tired of the shower spray hitting him in the face.  Seeing her in his wet shirt caused him to momentarily lose his train of thought.

"Danny?"

"Huh?"

"Stop looking at me."  She blushed as she realized that the shirt did nothing to hide her body from his view.

"That isn't gonna happen," he whispered, dragging his eyes up to her face.  "I'm sorry I messed up your evening."

CJ frowned at him.  "No, you're not.  You didn't need a comment on military readiness tonight.  This whole thing was part of some nefarious plan to gain my attention.  You're jealous of Marco."

"Do I have a reason to be?"  He'd had his suspicions ever since she'd returned from her high school reunion.  A little research on his part had gained him the name of his competition.

"Danny, just what gives you the right to..."

Hearing something besides the sound of CJ's anger, Danny slapped his hand over CJ's open mouth.

"CJ, are you in here?"  Margaret called out, her voice too close for comfort.

CJ stared in horror at Danny.  Shaking her head, she pushed his hand away and plastered a smile on her face.

"Yeah," CJ blithely answered, sticking her head outside the curtain.  "Did you need something?"

"Uh, no.  Well, Leo was looking for you earlier, but I thought you had left for the day."  Margaret had a peculiar expression on her face; something between fascination and disgust. 

CJ smiled, trying to hide a flinch as Danny unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed close against her back.  "Nope, not yet.  I took a run and wanted to clean up.  I've got an errand to take care of before I go home."

"Okay.  Well, I'll leave you to it."  Margaret gave her a tight little smile and walked back around the tiled corner.

CJ pulled her head back behind the curtain and turned, whispering to him. "Damn, she's suspicious of something."  

"Nah," Danny responded, grinning at her and guessing what Margaret had seen.  "You're just feeling guilty about what we're about to do."

"And that would be what, Nimrod?"  She raised one eyebrow at him and pushed at his hands that were still holding onto her waist. 

Danny grinned, unzipping his soggy pants and letting them and his navy boxers drop to the shower floor.  "Take a shower together.  I'll even let you wash my best parts."

"I wouldn't mind washing out your mouth."  She angrily scooped up a bar of soap out of the wall holder.  "Like the taste of  Zest soap?"

"Did you ask CJ why Toby's cap is down here?  And, I guess that's his jacket?"   Carol stared at the items next to her on the bench as she finished changing into her favorite bar-cruising black denim outfit. 

"Didn't have to," Margaret responded, her whole body radiating indignation. "I could see why."

"CJ and Toby?  In here?  Now?" Carol exclaimed in disbelief, an ankle boot dangling from her hand.  "What about poor Andi and the twins?  No, I don't believe it."

"Saw them with my own two eyes.  I could see his shadow behind her.  They were probably having sex while I was talking to her."

Both women turned their heads towards the adjacent room as the sound of CJ's laughter rang out   They both gasped as a bar of soap came sliding across the carpet in front of them.

Carol hurriedly tugged on her boot and tossed her work clothes in her locker.  At a near jog, both women rushed out of the locker room.  Neither wanted to chance seeing a naked Toby retrieve the soap, at least not while they were sober.

**Sequel:** "A Little More Zest"


End file.
